Zelotes

The Zealot. A name of Simon, one of the Twelve Apostles (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Matthew and Mark in their lists call him “the Cananean” (not Canaanite as in the KJV), which is formed from an Aramaic word (Kanan), of which Zelotes is the Greek and Zealot the English equivalent. The Zealots were a party among the Jews (so called from their zeal for the law) who were determined to resist Roman or any foreign authority in Palestine.